“He shall come down like rain
upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth” (Psalm 72:6).

This is spoken and promised
of Christ, and serves to teach us, that Christ coming to his church and people,
by the gracious influences of his Holy Spirit, is most useful and refreshing to
their souls, like showers of rain to the dry ground, or a meadow newly cut, to
make it spring again.— Christ-less souls are like the dry ground, without the
moisture of saving grace, their hearts are hard; neither rods, mercies, nor
sermons, make impression upon them. Why? they are without Christ, the Fountain
of grace and spiritual influences. Before the fall, man's soul was like a well
watered garden, beautiful, green, and fragrant; but, by his apostasy from God,
in Adam, our first head, the springs of grace and holiness are quite dried up
in his soul; and there is no curing of this drought, but by the soul's union
with a new head, to wit, Christ our second Adam, who has the Spirit given him
without measure for the use of his members. Now, when we are united by faith to
Christ, our head of influences, the dry land is turned into water springs.
Christ comes down as the rain by his spirit of regeneration, and brings the
springs of grace into the soul. He is the first and immediate receptacle of the
Holy Spirit, and all regenerating and sanctifying influences, and out of his
fullness we must by faith receive them. And when at any time the springs of
grace are interrupted in the soul by sin or unbelief, so as the ground turns
dry, the plants wither, and the things which remain are ready to die; the soul
hath need to look up to Jesus Christ, to come down with new showers upon the
thirsty ground, and decayed plants.

1. As the rain is
the free gift of God to the dry ground, it comes free and cheap to poor and
rich, small and great, and costs them nothing: so Christ, with his blessings,
is God's free gift to a dry perishing world, for which we, should continually
be thankful. 2. As nothing can stop the falling of the rain; so nothing can
hinder Christ's gracious influences, when he designs to awake, convince, or
soften a hard heart. When these showers do fall on sinners, the most obstinate
will must yield, and cry, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? 3. As the rain
is most necessary and suitable to the dry ground, and to the various plants it
produce, and also to the different parts of every plant or tree; such as the
root, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit; so Christ is absolutely
necessary, and his influences most suitable to all his people's souls, and
every faculty of them, the understanding, will, memory, and affections; and to
all their different graces, faith, love, repentance, &c. to root and
establish them, strengthen and confirm them quicken and increase them, cherish
and preserve them. 4. As the rain comes down in diverse ways and manners to the
earth, sometimes with cold winds and tempests, thunders and lightnings; and at
other times with calmness and warmth: So Christ comes to sinners, sometimes
with sharp convictions and legal terrors, and sometimes with alluring
invitations and promises. 5. O how pleasant are the effects of rain to
languishing plants, to make them green and beautiful, lively and strong,
fragrant and fruitful? So the effects of Christ's influences are most desirable
to drooping souls, for enlightening and enlivening them, for confirming and
strengthening them, for comforting and enlarging them, for appetising and
satisfying them, transforming and beautifying them. —A shower from Christ would
soon make the church, though withered, turn green and beautiful, and to send
forth a smell as of a field that the Lord hath blessed; and likewise some drops
of this shower, falling down upon the languishing graces of communicants, would
soon make them vigorous and lively in showing forth their Saviour's death at
his table.

Here I may see the reason why
many souls continue as dry ground in their parched natural condition, while
others near them are flourishing and fruitful; Christ's shower hath come down
upon the one, and not upon the other; one piece is rained upon, and another
piece is dry and withered, according to that word in Amos 4:7.— Oh, what cause
is there to bewail the evident symptoms of this continuing natural drought in
multitudes of souls! Why? their hearts are hard, impenetrable, and unaffected
with the miserable state they are in by nature, and with the woeful plagues of
their hearts. They have no sense or feeling of the evil of sin, notwithstanding
of all the reproofs and threatenings of the word, or the rods and strokes it
brings upon them; or of the sufferings of Christ for sin. And though God
assures them, that the end of dry ground is cursing and burning, they are
impenitent and unconcerned under all. O if parched souls in their natural
estate were made sensible of their misery, and brought to bewail their case,
and say, “Oh, I am as the heath in the desert that sees no rain: I am a dry
tree; if I continue in this state, I'll be cut down as cumbering the ground,
and made fuel to hell-fire. I see the axe of justice laid to my root, every
hour I am in danger of the blow. O if Christ would interpose to spare me, and
come down upon me as the rain, and bring the moisture of grace into my soul.

How lamentable also is the
case of those who once seemed to be watered by this heavenly rain, and now are
parched by a long consuming drought and withering wind! They have lost their
former greenness and moisture, their spirituality and liveliness, and their
duties are quite dwindled away into a lifeless carcase and a dead formality.
They have lost their wonted freedom and enlargement in prayer, and are fallen
under sad bonds and straitenings of spirit, which make them count holy things a
weariness, and frequently neglect secret prayer. Surely such have great need of
Christ coming down upon them as the rain, to make them spring up as the grass,
and revive as the corn. Alas we have a sinful hand in bringing on such a
spiritual drought, by quenching the motions of the Spirit, indulging fleshly
lusts, giving the world Christ's room in the heart, and neglecting to live by
faith on the Son of God, who is the rain and dew of Israel.

How happy are those who live
under the droppings of this rain! They are like trees planted by the waters,
their roots spread forth, and their leaves are green, Jeremiah 17:8, “Have I
the signs of such persons? Is my heart ready to melt at the sight of a crucified
Jesus set beforeme in the sacrament? Do
I mourn for my sins that pierced him? Am I ready to think worse of myself than
any other person can? Is my heart soft and pliable to the will of God, both in
his precepts and providences? Do the world's good things bulk but little in my
eye? Is it my desire to meet with Christ in every duty and ordinance? Do I
still look on sin as Christ's enemy? Am I afraid of provoking him by sin to
withhold the showers, and make the heavens as brass to me? Am I desirous to
bring forth fruit answerable to the waterings he graciously allows me?” O may I
find these marks in my soul.

O that I could
earnestly plead for the fulfilling of this promise in the text, that Christ
would come down as the rain, that he would send the showers he hath merited and
promised, send them to myself, to the church, and to the whole land; to the
present age, and to the rising generation! O what glorious effects would these
showers produce! They would beautify the church and her assemblies, make both
ministers and professors to shine in holiness, and congregations to be lively
in worship. They would open prison doors, loose bonds, enlarge hearts, revive
drooping souls, turn their water into wine, their sorrow into joy, their
complaints into praises, and make them sing in the ways of the Lord. By these
showers God would be glorified, the church cemented, and her distempers healed.
Ordinances would be successful, communions more pleasant, the godly more
valued, religion more esteemed, and the way to heaven more delightful. Lord,
look on the dry ground and present droughty season with pity, open the windows
of heaven, and lend down showers as in former times, and as in other parts of
the world. Send a shower to young communicants, and to those who have not seen
thy goings in the sanctuary; a shower to stony hearts and withered hands, a
shower to soften the clods, loose the roots, and open the springs. O how much
good would one of Christ's showers do to a poor dry land! what wonders would it
work! what prisoners would it loose! what cloudy minds would it brighten, and
what doubting souls would it resolve! Come down, Lord Jesus. Amen. W.